


Mocha with Cream and Sugar

by uglydxll



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Angst with a Happy Ending, Coffee Shops, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Romantic Fluff, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-16 03:40:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29325624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uglydxll/pseuds/uglydxll
Summary: Kurapika Kurta has spent the last six months working at a coffee shop to save up enough money to participate in the Hunter Exam; now, with his goal of avenging his clan within reach, he suddenly meets medical student Leorio Paladiknight, who turns his life completely around.
Relationships: Kurapika & Leorio Paladiknight, Kurapika/Leorio Paladiknight
Comments: 1
Kudos: 29





	1. Chapter 1

Kurapika Kurta was polishing a ceramic mug when the black-haired man strode in.

He had become something of a regular in the past few months, returning to the shop at least a few times a week, sometimes every day. He would usually find a nice corner by one of the windows that spanned the front of the shop, pulling out his textbooks and notebooks, sometimes a laptop. Kurapika had determined him to be a medical student during his occasional glances at his work - diagrams of the heart, notes on how to stitch a wound, the like. His order was always the same - a mocha coffee, sweetened to a sickening extent with cream and sugar. 

Kurapika was usually the one to make the drink, given that the shop had only a few employees, most of which seemed to be committed to doing as little work as possible. Kurapika, however, had no interest in idling about; he was here with a purpose, and he would fulfill it. 

The man settled in his typical spot, digging around in his briefcase. After a moment, he drew out a notebook and a thick textbook - Kurapika caught a glance of a depiction of a brain on the cover. He gently placed down the mug he was holding and drifted over towards his table. 

“The usual?” Kurapika asked politely. The man scarcely looked up from his work and nodded slightly. 

Kurapika returned to the counter and began making his drink, his eyes flitting back to the man occasionally. He appeared absorbed in his work, the sound of his pen scratching against the paper barely audible over the churning of the coffee maker. Kurapika could not say for certain what drew him to the man, but he definitely felt it - a gravitational pull that kept drawing his eyes upwards to look at him. He was objectively handsome; he had unkempt ebony black hair, his dark eyes hovering over a pair of sunglasses that never seemed to leave his face, even when he was working. He wore a deep blue business suit and carried a soft leather briefcase with him. 

Kurapika resisted the urge to shake his head. What a fool he was. He wasn’t here to stare at customers, he was here to work. A pit of shame hovered in his stomach as he brought the man his coffee. The man nodded his thanks, and Kurapika turned to walk back to the counter when the man said something. 

“I’d never heard you speak before.” 

Kurapika turned back around, and the man was looking directly at him, leaned back casually in his chair. 

“What?” Kurapika said softly, his brows furrowing.

“When you spoke to me, that was the first time I heard you speak.” The man crossed his arms.

“Oh,” Kurapika said. “I suppose it was.” Once again, he was about to walk away before the man began speaking.

“You’ve served me a coffee here almost every day for a few months, and I’ve barely heard from you. Aren’t you supposed to get to know your regulars?” The man leaned forward, shutting his notebook and turning his full attention to Kurapika. It was a conscious effort to stifle the blood from rising to his cheeks.

“I’m sorry if our service has-”

“Nah, don’t bother with the bureaucratic nonsense. Sit, I want to get to know you.” The man gestured to the seat opposite him.

“Sir, I’m still on shift-”

“There’s no one else here and people rarely come here. Plus, isn’t this technically doing your job?” The man knit his fingers together and rested his chin on them, glancing expectantly at the seat. Reluctantly, Kurapika sat.

“I’m Leorio Paladiknight.” The man said, holding out a hand. Kurapika took it apprehensively.

“Kurapika Kurta.” 

“How long have you worked here?”

“Six months.”

Leorio nodded, then looked expectantly. Kurapika glanced around, unsure what he was waiting for.

“Well? This isn’t a damn interrogation, don’t you want to ask me something?” Leorio crossed his arms again, raising an eyebrow. 

“What are you studying?” Kurapika, of course, knew the answer, but he didn’t know what else to ask. Leorio sighed, prying open his notebook.

“Ah, I’m studying to be a doctor. Right now I’m studying neurology. Boring stuff, I know.” 

Before he could stop himself, Kurapika blurted out a response - “I don’t find it boring.” Leorio looked up above the rim of his sunglasses, and a smile spread across his face. Before he knew it, Kurapika was learning the functions of all of the parts of the brain, and the rest of the world seemed to melt away in the midst of their conversation. After what felt like minutes but what must have been closer to an hour, Leorio stood, collecting his books and announcing that he had class coming up. He strode out and left Kurapika in his wake, a familiar feeling of shame and guilt washing over him. 


	2. Chapter Two

Kurapika and Leorio were sitting alone in the coffee shop, with shafts of golden sunlight filtering through the windows that desperately needed to be cleaned. The sky was a hazy orange as the sun lowered to the horizon.

  
Leorio was studying for a pharmacology exam, casually flipping through the pages of a textbook and reading through notes. Kurapika was writing out flashcards, a task he took for himself after seeing how atrocious Leorio’s handwriting was. He was just writing out differences between liquid and capsule medications when Leorio glanced up and spoke.

  
“How do you drink that stuff?” He asked, gesturing to the mug of coffee Kurapika had made himself, a curl of steam rising up slowly.

  
“What do you mean?” Kurapika asked, holding his hand against the side to feel the warmth seeping out. Leorio looked aghast, as if he had just asked what a doctor is.

“It’s… it’s so bitter.” Leorio shivered, like the very thought disturbed him. Kurapika shook his head.

“It’s an acquired taste. Like alcohol.” He lifted the mug to his lips, taking a slow drink. Leorio sputtered in exasperation.

“That’s not at all the same thing! You get used to alcohol because it gets you drunk; coffee that tastes better gives you the exact same results, just without the terrible taste.”

“I actually think it tastes better this way.”

“There’s no possible way you think that.”

“Try it.” Kurapika lowered the mug and handed it to Leorio, who took it as if he was accepting a potentially dangerous specimen. He apprehensively lifted it to his mouth, and with great dramatics, took a sip. A moment’s pause, and he swallowed, a grimace etched across his face.

“It’s terrible.” Leorio handed it back to Kurapika, and in turn offered his cup of overly-sweet swill. “Same caffeine, it just tastes 100% better.”

Kurapika reluctantly accepted and gave it a taste. It was exactly as predicted - cloyingly sweet, with only the barest hint of a coffee flavor. He hastily handed it back, wiping the back of his mouth with a sleeve. “I question your medical credentials if you think that is ‘100% better.’”

Leorio began to launch into a lengthy rant on sweetening coffee, but Kurapika felt himself drawing out of the conversation, as the all too familiar feeling of remorse crept over him.

He stifled an urge to sigh. It occurred every time he sat down and spoke to Leorio - an overwhelming sense of dread, of aimlessness. He was losing focus. He wasn’t here to make friends. He wasn’t sure if he had the capacity to make friends anymore. It felt as though time was slipping through his fingers, with the eyes of his loved ones baring into the back of his skull.

Kurapika peered down at his flashcards and mug of coffee. Suddenly this all felt trivial, felt trite.

“Kurapika?”

He looked up and saw Leorio looking at him, confusion flickering in his dark eyes.

“Sorry, I’m just a little distracted.” Kurapika felt blood rush to his cheeks. Leorio hasn’t done anything wrong, he just wants a friend. Kurapika didn’t deserve a friend like Leorio, and Leorio didn’t deserve Kurapika’s burdens.

“Why do you look miserable?” Leorio asked, folding his hands and placing them on the table.

“What?” Kurapika replied with an air of defensiveness. “No, I’m fine.” Leorio looked at Kurapika with a kind of pity and seemed as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

The rest of the night passed mostly in silence, with only the occasional comment between them. Leorio left in the early hours of the morning, thanking Kurapika for his help, but with the feeling of pity still lingering in his eyes.

Kurapika cleaned up the shop after he left, fostering the feeling of shame in his stomach and deciding that he needed to re-focus. His resentment could not diminish; it was all he had. He looked down at his clothes, the traditional robes of his clan, and felt his heart clench.

He would stop talking to Leorio, he decided. It was the only way to remain focused. All the same, he could feel the hot sting of tears as they streamed down his cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry that my valentine's day chapter was so depressing asasldkf anyways happy valentine's day everyone!


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